Pictorialism vs Victorian Ornament
ピクトリアリズム / ヴィクトリアン装飾
Pictorialism comes from Photography Movements and Victorian Ornament from Ornament. Both are read here as style. They are reached for with some of the same intent, which is where they get confused.
Pictorialism
Presented photography as art equal to painting, through soft focus, staged scenes and handworked prints.
Victorian Ornament
Builds a thickly layered system of ornament from many revival styles and the riches of industrial printing.
| Pictorialism | Victorian Ornament | |
|---|---|---|
| Era | late-1800s–c.1914 | 1837–1901 |
| Family | Photography Movements | Ornament |
| Kind | Style | Style |
| Cues | Soft focus / Mist and backlight / Painterly composition / Handcrafted prints | Dense borders / Symmetry / Botanical pattern / Chromolithography |
| Best used for | Portraits meant to be atmospheric pictures rather than records · Landscapes sold as works, with the handmade print part of the value | Giving packages and invitations the dignity of a collection · Making the act of studying detail the value itself |
| Type | Title and sign by hand in the print margin, never on the image | Ornamented serifs and small capitals |
| Composition | Move the subject off center, gather the light in one area, sink the rest | Fix a central axis; nest frames, headings and text |
| Material | Soft focus, backlit mist, hand coated printing that keeps the paper texture | Deep red, green, gold, cream; repeat hairlines in steps |
| Caution | Applying blur uniformly afterwards leaves no trace of anyone following the light, and the result is simply a photograph out of focus. | Never mix other cultures' patterns as anonymous ornament. Research origins; quote precisely. |